‘The King’ Ronnie Coleman is considered one of the best bodybuilders of all time. However, his legendary career was accompanied by numerous injuries that stemmed from the intense physical demands of his training. In a recent YouTube video shared on November 18, 2024, Coleman showcased four pool exercises he’s using to walk again.
After 13 surgeries correcting his back and neck, Ronnie Coleman was left unable to walk without assistance. Despite these setbacks, he persevered and displayed an impeccable physique throughout his career, with few weaknesses
Having acquired eight consecutive Mr. Olympia titles, Coleman, alongside Lee Haney, holds the record for the most Sandow trophies ever earned. Of course, his health took a hit for these accolades, but Coleman has made it clear several times that he has zero regrets regarding his bodybuilding career.
Ronnie Coleman Discusses Pool Rehab Routine
He has utilized consistent stem cell therapy procedures to walk again, and now, guides fans on his pool rehab workout routine, which he’s using to become more mobile as a retired Open bodybuilding great.
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Ronnie Coleman’s Pool Exercises
- High Steps — 35-40 steps, 5-6 sets
- One-Legged stands — 20-30 seconds, 5-6 sets
- Floating Flutter Kicks — 5 minutes per leg
- Seated Single Leg Kicks — 5 minutes alternating legs
Coleman begins with high steps, where he simply crosses his arms and lifts his legs as high as possible as he takes steps across the pool, counting as he goes.
“These are a few of the exercises I do in the pool. These are called high steps and all I do is fold my arms so all I’m using is my legs and I just high step all the way to the end there.
I try to take about 35-40 steps, counting them. Then I go back and do 40 again. Now, that’s just one of the exercises I do” Coleman said.
From there, Ronnie Coleman moves to his next exercise, standing on one leg for 20 seconds before switching to the next. He repeats this about 5-6 times.
“The other one is real simple. All I’m trying to do is stand on one leg for about 20 seconds. That’s one leg, now I’ll do the other leg, the same thing. Sometimes I go to 30, it all depends. I probably do that about 5-6 times.”
His third movement requires the use of a floaty, which he uses to balance his upper body while kicking his legs behind him.
“The next exercise I do is real simple. Normally, I have a buoy for this one, but I don’t have one here. At home, I actually have a kids, I use one of the kids toys, and I just lay on it and I just do kicks.”
Ronnie Coleman wraps up his pool workout by doing seated kicks, which consist of him sitting at the stairs of the pool and lifting one leg repeatedly, using the water as a form of resistance, similar to a leg extension. He does this for 5 minutes before switching to the other leg.
“This is another exercise I do, before I get in, I do leg kicks. I do that for like 5 minutes, back and forth between each leg. It helps strengthen the quads up a little bit, almost like a leg extension, using the water for resistance.”
Coleman revealed how these pool exercises, along with his stem cell treatments, are assisting in his efforts to walk again, a goal he doesn’t intend to abandon.
“This, along with the stems cells, it’s helping me get back on my feet and hopefully, like real soon, I’ll be walking. Yeah, buddy! I’m not going to give up on this until I am walking again, so stayed tuned!”
In addition to his stem cell treatments and poolside rehabilitation, Ronnie Coleman traveled to Abu Dhabi earlier this year, where he would begin red light therapy along with acupuncture and cryotherapy. These measures came to be after being informed by Dr. Ismail that he needed to fight off inflammation.
It has been a long road to recovery for Ronnie Coleman, who has remained persistent on his journey to walking again. Coleman recently provided a health update, where he revealed that he sees himself walking within two years.
“Yup, I’m giving myself about a year and a half to be walking, maybe with a cane, and then eventually, they can get it to where I can walk without a cane.”
“So, I’m thinking in about two years I think that I’ll be able to regenerate some of those nerves. I’ve been doing stem cells. I do stem cells, like 300 million every five months.”
Ronnie Coleman is taking the appropriate steps to regain his mobility, and fans can’t wait to see him finally regain his ability to walk unassisted. In the meantime, we all continue to cheer ‘The King’ on as he continues to push through his challenges with unwavering determination.
RELATED: Ronnie Coleman’s Top 3 Exercises That Built an 8x Mr. Olympia Physique